Healing from a chronic illness is not a goal; it’s a process. It’s a process that, if thoroughly experienced, will lead you not only to wellness but to the person you were always meant to be.

I know this seems crazy, but it’s possible that having a chronic illness can be the best experience of your life. I understand the journey of chronic illness because I’ve been through it myself.

When you are able to discover all the lessons of your chronic illness, including your role in its creation, you can start to shift your life in ways that will keep you from ever getting to that place again. And that is where the real healing happens.

Here are my top 5 pieces of wisdom to help you not only survive the journey, but thrive on it too.

1. Accept where you are right now

You are wherever you are. It doesn’t matter if you hate it, you’re still there. When we resist instead of allow, we consume so much energy in that process that we steal from the energy we could be using to heal. The best thing you can do for your health, is accept exactly where you are right now.

That doesn’t mean you have to like it. It means you have to stop fighting reality. After all, can you use all the fighting power for something else? I know this can be much easier said than done as our conscious minds cannot always easily accept.

I use Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) with my clients in my private energy therapy practice to help with the acceptance piece. This is a tool you can use at home to help you start accepting where you are right now…and start freeing that energy up for healing!

2. Look for the message

I believe dis-ease is trying to tell us something. The only way our bodies can talk to us is through symptoms. People, emotions, and more need to be acknowledged. Your symptoms are the same. So, listen. What are they trying to say? Why is your body so unhappy? What in your life isn’t congruent with your heart?

Researchers such as Dr. Candace Pert (who wrote the book “Molecules of Emotion”) have proven a direct link between negative emotions and their impact on the immune system. The immune system can keep us safe from virtually anything when it’s functioning at its optimal level. What emotions have played a role in the dysfunction of your immune system? If you don’t try to figure out what your body is telling you, chances are it won’t stop trying to talk.

3. Be kind to yourself

At every level, you want to send your body messages that it’s supported. If you are constantly beating yourself up for being sick, are you sending it the message that it deserves to be well? One of my favorite quotes says it all:
“Loving and accepting your body is the best way to get it to cooperate with any intentions you might have for changing it.”
~ Donna Eden

4. Slow down

I know how much you want to get well. It’s what you fight for every single day. It’s why you are doing several treatments at once and waiting eagerly for results. However, that can actually stall your healing. It’s simply another stress on your body to try to heal too fast. There is so much more to really healing than the physical aspect.

I believe, although it was very hard for me to accept initially, we are all contributors in some way to our own chronic illnesses. We don’t get to the place of disease overnight and we can’t come back from it either. If we try to force the process, we are not taking the journey of full healing down to our core, which invariably includes discovering why and how we manifested a dis-ease or condition. This is how you make sure you never get back to that place.

5. See this as an opportunity for clearing

Look at this as an opportunity to clear out that which no longer serves you. Chronic illness is a purging opportunity in many ways. Some of it is not by choice, like when friends disappear. But, this time in your life can be used to really get in line with what feels right to you – including relationships, career, and how you live your life. You can work to make your life the healthiest environment possible for your body.

I know chronic illness isn’t fun and want out. I completely get it. But, if you can approach this journey with curiosity and adventure to really retrace how you got here, you will heal at a deeper level than any treatment could have ever done. One day, I promise, you will finally see that not only does slow and steady win the race, but it leads to a place that makes the race worth winning in the first place.

Navigating the challenges of overcoming a chronic illness can be daunting and there’s no need to travel the road alone! Contact the Author, or browse our Merchant Directory to find local Holistic Health Services, Traditional Medicine practitioners, and other experts in your area in your area.

Author: Amy B. Scher, Energy Therapy Practitioner of Marina del Rey, CA